Welcome to the Extreme Flooding Research Group

Use the panel on the left to read more about our research, see the results of the Flooding Survey we conducted, view the publications from the project or find out about our discussion sessions.

Project Overview

The UK witnessed unusually severe flooding in the winters of 2012–2013 and 2013–2014, with many areas across the UK remaining underwater for almost three months. Severe long-term flooding of agricultural land can have disastrous impacts on soil quality and subsequent agricultural production. Climate change scenarios predict that extreme weather events such as severe flooding will become more frequent in the future. To better arm the agricultural sector for future flooding events, we are investigating the short and long-term impact of flooding on agricultural soils, and testing which is the best way to repair flood damage in soils.

We have monitored the recovery of agricultural soils in Somerset and Worcestershire every month since the flood waters receded. Coupled with this, we have conducted several laboratory studies to investigate the chemical and physical changes that occur in the soil during and shortly after an extreme flooding event. We are also conducting a field experiment to determine what management practices are best for repairing flood damage to soils. You can see more details along with our findings under the ‘Our Research’ tab.

This project is being jointly funded by the UK Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).